I know the popular choice is Steven Jackson, but lets take a step back and really look at this.

Can we really solidify him as the clearcut number 1 from this group?

Kevin Jones is finally putting it together this year, and playing very well. Maybe he finally turned the corner. Julius Jones has had a quiet but very effective season so far, but its being ignored because of all the attention on BP/TO/Romo and the fact that like Tiki, he's spelled by MBIII in goalline situations which hurts his stats. Steven Jackson is also having a very good season, and Willie Parker as well.

So can we safely say that Jackson is the clearcut #1? I don't think so. In fact, I think we need another year to evaluate all of these guys before we can say something like that.

I do not believe that any pro scout giving his honest opinion would prefer Willie Parker over Stephen Jackson. Jackson is huge, fast, and can catch. He has great vision and has been pretty damn healthy. I think he's the most talented back in that class.

In terms of who I'd want to build a team around, I'd rank them:

Jackson
Kevin Jones
Willie Parker a very close third
Julius Jones a very close fourth
Tatum Bell
Chris Perry

Jackson is really the only one who has been consistent since he entered the league. He's the type of guy you can depend on for 4 yards a carry as well as a couple of receptions out of the backfield. Add in the fact that he wears down the defence and gets it done on short yardage situations and you have the best running back in the 2004 Draft Class, as of now.

Jackson is really the only one who has been consistent since he entered the league. He's the type of guy you can depend on for 4 yards a carry as well as a couple of receptions out of the backfield. Add in the fact that he wears down the defence and gets it done on short yardage situations and you have the best running back in the 2004 Draft Class, as of now.